“What we’re seeing is people needing six, seven doses from our fire personnel to bring them back around. So, we’re seeing people are getting more resistance to the Narcan or I don’t know what it is scientifically, but it’s making it more difficult to bring people back from the states that they are in,” explained Barnard.

The sound of sirens in Cabell County, West Virginia, has a good chance of indicating an overdose these days.

The county’s Emergency Medical Service had responded to 622 overdose calls this year as of September 24, according to Emergency Services Director Gordon Merry. Last year it was more than 900 overdoses, which surpassed the total of the previous three years combined.